


Something to Believe In

by Catastrokey (orphan_account)



Category: King Falls AM (Podcast)
Genre: Ficlet, Hope, M/M, Posted before 75, Short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2018-04-25
Packaged: 2019-04-27 15:33:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14428656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Catastrokey
Summary: But that didn’t seem to be up to Ben and his powerlessness in the situation was tearing him up inside.His best friend wanted to leave the town they lived in to escape the ghost of his missing lover. Ben couldn’t fill that absence, couldn’t even begin to make up for the hole in Sammy’s life that Jack Wright had left with his disappearance. He has no more cards to play, no more pleas that hadn’t already been played out, only the futile hope that something, anything would entice Sammy to stay.a.k.a. Sammy may have given up, but there is still someone who can bring back his hope.





	Something to Believe In

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Young the Giant's "Something to Believe In"

Ben hadn’t felt so stressed since February of the previous year. Which made a certain amount of sense, if there were two people in the world more important to him than anything and anyone else, bar Betty Arnold herself, it would have been Emily Potter and Sammy Stevens.

The two of them had defined the kind of man he became. Their love shaping him in ways that family couldn’t. They’d taken him from a terrified kid with big dreams of being a journalist and helped him become an adult with the bravery to shoot down UFOs and fist fight sheriffs.

He’d just gotten Emily back in his life, he couldn’t lose Sammy _now_.

But that didn’t seem to be up to Ben and his powerlessness in the situation was tearing him up inside.

His best friend wanted to leave the town they lived in to escape the ghost of his missing lover. Ben couldn’t fill that absence, couldn’t even begin to make up for the hole in Sammy’s life that Jack Wright had left with his disappearance. He has no more cards to play, no more pleas that hadn’t already been played out, only the futile hope that something, anything would entice Sammy to stay.

The night of April 30th, even that hope was burning out. The night was Sammy’s last show before he up and left. At this point, Ben was considering taking his vacation to follow Sammy just to make sure he didn’t do anything stupid.

It had taken too long for Ben to realize Sammy had said absolutely nothing about going back to the city or what he was going to do after he left. Only Lily plainly stating that Sammy had nothing to go back to had shaken Ben’s last bit of faith in Sammy’s will to live.

He’d been certain that Sammy was a rock. A solid unshakeable presence in the midst of Ben’s own storm of chaos and passion. Sammy wouldn’t… he couldn’t, except that was no longer certain. 

Sammy may be his rock, but he was crumbling to dust in the face of unbelievable pressure. There was no diamond to be found inside, just a bruised and battered heart being crushed under a thousand hurts.

Ben was halfway through typing out an email to Merv under the desk, letting their boss know he had important business to deal with that would consume the length of his vacation time when the call came in.

The windy cracking sounds of the void had Ben on edge in an instant. The voice on the other end, however, wasn’t Debbie.

“Sammy?”

Ben could practically feel the gasp that choked out of his co-host, sending him shuddering in his seat.

“Jack.”

It came out broken, cracking with emotion. Sammy’s expression had crumpled in the face of a new, exquisite brand of torture. Ben wanted to cry for him or try and protect him from this, to cut off the call and spare his friend from this pain. But he knew from experience that no matter how painful, Sammy would give anything to hear that voice again.

Ben swore to himself that he would hang up if the Shadowmaker dared to show his face though.

“Oh thank god. This is so much harder than it looks. I’ve been trying to get through for days.”

Jack’s tone was light, relieved despite the heavy situation. It was at complete odds with the dark sounds of paper rustling and wind howling behind him. Sammy, on the other hand, looked ready to cry his eyes out. His breath was hitching and everything in Ben wanted to circle the table and hug the other man.

“Jack, how…”

“Look, Sammy, I don’t know how long I have before that asshole gets here, but I have to say this.”

Silence. A quiet consent to deliver a message that could very well change everything. This could make or break Sammy, and they all knew it.

“It likes to listen to you.”

Well, that was terrifying news. An evil, people stealing, supernatural presence wasn’t exactly their target demographic.

“So I can hear the show. Not always and almost never all of it, but I can hear enough to know you’re about to do something phenomenally boneheaded.”

So Ben wasn’t the only one with gut-wrenching suspicions of exactly where Sammy was leaving to. That was both reassuring and discomforting. This was the man who undoubtedly knew Sammy better than anyone. If Sammy was going to… to chuck himself headfirst into certain death, he would know.

“I’m coming back to you.”

A wretched sob seemed to tear itself from Sammy’s throat. Tears streamed down the man’s face in Ben’s own blurry vision.

“So you better damn well still be there to come back to. Promise me, Sammy. Promise me you won’t give up.”

Sammy’s head was nodding before Jack could even finish, frantically trying to get an affirmative out of his clogged windpipe.

“I promise.”

Ben’s entire being seemed to lighten at the reassurance. Sammy wouldn’t lie about this, and if there was anyone that could have given Sammy hope at this point, it was Jack himself.

He didn’t have to know Jack to hear the smile in his voice as he spoke next.

“Good. You keep fighting and so will I. I love you, babe.”

Ben couldn’t remember a time when Sammy looked lighter than that moment. Like Jack’s voice had contained the secret to eternal happiness and even just a moment of hearing it was enough to shift every single one of his burdens aside for a moment. The tears were drying and his voice was strong and sure, conviction ringing in his answer.

“I love you, too.”

A bright laugh on the other end made Sammy’s face light up in return. Jesus, he hadn’t even known Sammy could look so unreservedly happy.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have a piece of shit shadowmaker to outfox. See ya soon, Sammy.”

The call ended, but the warmth it had brought with it didn’t.

Sammy was smiling softly, with renewed strength. Ben could visibly see Sammy being put back together from the sad, broken mess he had become. Sammy had lost all hope, that’s why he was leaving. He’d needed something to believe in, something to reassure him that the fight wasn’t fruitless, that he could get Jack back if they won.

A deep breath, a visible steadying of the soul, and he met Ben’s eyes for the first time in what felt like forever, speaking words Ben had been begging any power that might listen to hear for months.

“I hear you have a thought journal.”

**Author's Note:**

> I was contemplating what could make Sammy stay at this point when it occurred to me, he doesn't think that they can get Jack back even if they defeat the Shadowmaker. He's lost all hope, so who better to give him hope than Jack himself?
> 
> Plus, anyone who grew up with Lily Wright as a big sister is a fighter. Jack is gonna give that stupid shadowmaker hell.
> 
> P.S. Lily calls in 5 minutes later to demand to know what the fuck just happened.


End file.
